Nova’s sour mood surprised me. From afar, she radiated a happy, good girl vibe. Was she actually a moody person?
“People laugh at me for having a tiny dog,” I told Nova. “I put ketchup on mashed potatoes. I can’t drink orange soda withoutwanting to puke. Are my things dumb? Maybe, but I don’t care. I refuse to pretend to like cool shit.”
Nova’s gaze sharpened, and a smile warmed her face. “Ketchup on mashed potatoes is gross.”
“I know.”
Despite her mocking words, Nova now watched me like my little confession had won her heart.
“I don’t like fancy coffee,” she said and smiled. “I’m afraid I don’t like anything interesting.”
“Why don’t we order dinner from a place with both safe food and new things?”
Nova’s gaze remained locked on me long after she nodded at my suggestion. I pulled my truck into the underground parking garage and rolled into my spot next to my motorcycle.
“How about we order Japanese food?” I suggested and shut off the engine. “I like ramen. My mom made it, so the food feels safe. Yarrow didn’t like sushi, so I’ve never tried any. How about we order ramen and sushi to test ourselves?”
Nova smiled. “What if we like it and she thinks we’re weird?”
Grinning at the thought of my mom’s reaction to me enjoying sushi, I said, “Yarrow likes weird. She might decide she ought to give sushi another try if we like it.”
One thing I had noticed about Nova was that she admired the foxes. Tough chicks were her ideal. Goldie and a few other foxes at the Sorority House insisted Nova’s wild child had been tied up and stuck in a closet somewhere. They claimed our job was to free her.
I doubted sushi would be enough to set Nova’s wild child loose. But she was more likely to try something if she knew another fox—even my mom—had done it.
As I walked around to open the passenger door, I imagined what Nova was like before people molded her into this slightly uptight, reserved woman.
After I left jail, I planned to rebuild my life exactly as it was before I left. Yet, as soon as I saw Nova, I started reconsidering everything, so I might win her heart.
Now, I took her hand and guided her to the elevator. The doors opened to reveal Jagger. For a moment, I worried Nova might swoon over the pretty boy. Though she didn’t pay him much attention, Jagger zeroed in on her and wouldn’t move out of the way.
“What?” I demanded too strongly.
“The Black Rainbow has gotten all tangled up with the Crimson Guard,” he said, stepping back and remaining in the elevator.
“What’s the problem?” I asked Jagger after pressing the button for my floor. “You’ve met Nova before.”
“Those Baton Rouge boys have been acting up since Exile’s wedding.”
“By Baton Rouge boys, do you mean your club brothers?”
Jagger shrugged. “You should be aware of their, um, annoyance. Just assume they might get mouthy around Nova or Lula.”
“What about Elle?” Nova asked.
Jagger frowned darkly. “Doesn’t she live in Baton Rouge now?”
“She’ll be around until Halloween.”
“Does that mean her man will also be around until Halloween?”
“Yeah,” I answered as the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.
Jagger shrugged again. “Well, your people would be wise to remain aware of their surroundings.”
Holding the door open, I gestured for Nova to leave the elevator. Once she was no longer between us, I frowned down at Jagger, who was an inch or two shorter.
“Are those assholes plotting something?”
